FREMONT, Calif.—On Friday at Tesla's factory, Ars got behind the wheel of one of the first Tesla Model 3s off the factory line. It was a quick, 5-minute guided drive around the factory, but it gave a quick impression of what may be Tesla's most important car.

After all, Tesla has been working up to the launch of the Model 3 for years. CEO Elon Musk's dream has been to build an affordably-priced electric vehicle for mass production, and he's consistently framed the the Roadster, the Model S, and the Model X as luxury vehicles destined to subsidize a lower-priced electric car for the masses.

The $35,000 electric vehicle's interior is more spartan than the Model S or Model X. Air ducts are hidden and there's no instrument cluster directly in front of the driver. All the information you need about the car is found on a single, horizontal screen mounted in the center of the dashboard. The side mirrors and steering column are adjusted with two marble-sized trackballs where your thumbs might rest on the steering wheel.

As for the drive, the car is just as responsive as any other electric vehicle—that is, far more so than those with internal combustion engines. It won't go as fast as a Model S or X (130 mph is the top speed in the Standard model, and if you purchase the newly announced Long-Range battery for an extra $9,000 you can get up to 140mph). It also only has one motor instead of the dual-motor system you find in the older cars. Although we didn't have much time to put the Model 3 through the paces, steering was tight and didn't feel cheap. That said, you can feel the road in the Model 3 more than in an Model S. Tesla's challenge will be managing the expectations of people who only associate the marque with high-end vehicles.

Specs at a glance: Tesla’s Model 3

Standard

Long-Range

Price

$35,000

$44,000

Range

220 miles (EPA estimated)

310 miles (EPA estimated)

0-60

5.6 seconds

5.1 seconds

Top Speed

130 mph

140 mph

Home Charging Rate

30 miles of range per hour (240V outlet, 32A)

37 miles of range per hour (240V outlet, 40A)

Battery Warranty

8 years, 100,000 miles

8 year, 120,000 miles

Deliveries Begin

Fall 2017

July 2017

But Musk is getting better at managing expectations. The Tesla CEO has a habit of making dramatic, reaching promises and then spending the next year, or years, fending off prying questions from reporters and investors and trying to meet the farthest-reaching goals. But with the Model 3, Musk’s not making any wild promises.

“We’re going to go through at least six months of manufacturing hell,” the CEO said in a meeting with press on Friday afternoon. “I would certainly advise that you consider prior production ramps, past stories will tend to fundamentally not appreciate that manufacturing is an S-curve.”

Manufacturing is the key

Musk has spent the last several months saying that his company is trying to specialize in manufacturing as much as it's trying to specialize in electric cars. Tesla has even gone so far as reorganizing the company's Fremont factory to accommodate the Model 3. "In the same amount of space that it takes to build 50,000 Model Ss, we can build 250,000 Model 3s," Musk said on Friday.

Tesla hit manufacturing speed bumps getting its previous S and X models up to 20,000 units a year (and this year, to 50,000 units a year). The company battled engineering issues, quality control issues, and problems with suppliers in learning how to build their luxury models. (Musk called Tesla a "drama magnet" compared to his other endeavors like SpaceX in a recent investor call.) But both luxury cars benefitted from smart branding and a huge cult following—meaning unmet demand is the major frustration for new customers.

With the Model 3, Tesla has a double challenge—the car maker has to not only manage expectations for the speed of the cars off the production line, but it has to make buyers understand that these $35,000-$44,000 cars will not be as nice as the Model S and X.

Which is maybe why Musk spent so much time “sandbagging,” as he put it.

“There’s 10,000 unique components in the car, and production will move as fast as the slowest one,” he said. Musk turned to a slideshow image of a world map, showing cities around the world with lines drawn to Fremont. "This is an ICBM strike on Fremont," Musk said, with deadpan humor. Actually, the image depicted component factories that supply the Model 3 and how far they travel to the Fremont factory. About 70 percent of those components come from NAFTA areas, and the other 30 percent come from elsewhere around the world, Musk said.

Further Reading

Part of this challenge is that the Model 3, like the S and X, will be sold with all the hardware required for full autonomy, although the base-price Standard option only has a few such features engaged like emergency braking. For an extra $5,000, customers can purchase Autopilot with the same features you'd find in the Model S—matching speed to traffic conditions, lane-keep assist, automatic lane-changing, and self-parking. Eventually, people who've purchased this package will be able to add full self-driving capability for an extra $3,000 (that's $8,000 total). That option is subject to "extensive software validation and regulatory approval," the company warned on a press sheet circulated on Friday afternoon.

Eventually, Musk said on Friday, Tesla wants to put out 500,000 Model 3s a year, although he predicted about 50,000 Model 3s will hit the streets next year. At the factory on Friday evening, the first 30 vehicles were delivered to Tesla employees. Deliveries will be made slowly over the next year, starting with customers that already own Model S or X vehicles.

Another thing of note is that the Standard Model 3 and the Long-Range Model 3 have two different batteries, so you can't upgrade your Standard to a Long-Range vehicle when you find an extra $9,000 down the line. But both cars use 2170 cells in the battery—that is, the cells are slightly bigger than those found in the Model S and X at 21mm by 70mm, and they can deliver almost twice what the current 18650 cells deliver to the Model S and X in terms of current. The pack itself is also more integrated with the charger and the rest of the car in its build.

A crowd waits for Elon Musk to speak Friday evening.

Megan Geuss

The first run of Model 3s.

Megan Geuss

A Model 3 for test drive.

Megan Geuss

The car is also a mix of steel and aluminum, compared to the mostly-aluminum Model S.

Other small details: the Model 3 doesn't have automatically extending door handles (you have to push the handles in on the left, and pull from the right, which might be an issue for people with small hands). There's also no key. The car will open with a compatible Tesla app, or, if you don't have a smartphone, a keycard that you can put in your wallet to help the car recognize you.

Selling the car

Tesla also went to great lengths on Friday to express that if you have the means to buy the S or X, the company thinks its higher-priced cars are still better than the Model 3. After Ars drove the Model 3, the company offered rides in some Model S vehicles on the factory's private test track just to remind the press that the more expensive vehicles are better.

Musk also bristled at a question about reservations for the Model 3, saying that it was "aggravating" to keep hearing the question. "We do everything we can to unsell a car," Musk said. "Have you ever seen an ad for a Model 3?" The CEO then went on to say the net reservation number was currently "over half a million."

An additional challenge now is that the Model 3 is six months behind Chevrolet's Bolt, which Ars drove in February. That base-price EV starts at $37,495, and has a range of 238 miles. But enthusiasm for that car is reportedly lukewarm compared to the devotion of the Tesla faithful.

That dashboard screen has got to go. It looks like a cheap iPad on a mount. Not only is it difficult to view at its pre-set angle, but any sunlight that hits it will make it wash out. I can also see this being the first thing to fly off and into your face when you have a car accident.

I don't like the screen. I see exactly no reason for it to be set up like that, functionally or aesthetically.

Functionally, it seems very odd for a car to be designed such that you look away from oncoming traffic to check your current speed or fuel (range, in this case). How hard would it have been to bury a small display strip in that lip on the dashboard to display necessary information? Sure, put stuff like the outside temperature, backup camera, wheel power distribution, or whatever on the centerline display...but not speed and range.

Aesthetically, it doesn't match the rest of the car. (And it's kinda odd for me to care about the aesthetics of a car; they're usually just a tool for me.) Everything's basically curves, lines, and wide angles...then BOOM! an oversized tablet right smack in the middle.

Also, and this is probably subjective, I like knobs and buttons for environmental control. I can tell by touch what the current setting is and adjust it, without taking my eyes from the road.

I don't know of a single person who likes, or at least understands the concept of no instrument cluster in front the driver. Also the one display there is, is in landscape, forcing the driver to look even further away than it would have been necessary. Not to mention it sticks out, literally. Why?

It escapes me completely why Tesla wouldn't keep the basic dash layout the same as of Model S.

The price for the bigger battery model is a bit more than I expected. I presume the standard model is 55kWh and the long range model is 75kWh. For 20kWh, Tesla's cost is probably around 3k, but they charge 9k.

The Model 3 I will want will probably cost around 60k, which is pretty expensive - AWD, longer range, optioned up and with AP (but not fully driving, I'll pay Tesla the $$$ when the software arrives and passes muster with the NHSTA).

I'm actually OK with the screen off to the side. As long as it doesn't have issues with narrow viewing angles typical to TN LCD screens, and can be read in bright conditions, it'll be fine. By the time I get my car (2019 or 2020) I expect to be able to use AP most of my daily commute to and from work.

I don't know of a single person who likes, or at least understands the concept of no instrument cluster in front the driver. Also the one display there is, is in landscape, forcing the driver to look even further away than it would have been necessary. Not to mention it sticks out, literally. Why?

It escapes me completely why Tesla wouldn't keep the basic dash layout the same as of Model S.

The concept is quite simple: it reduces cost and the amount of wiring harness needed (lowering weight and, again, cost).

Personally, I've tried to pay attention to how I use the instrument cluster in my Volt and realized that largely the only function it serves while in motion is for checking speed. Frankly, I don't see how glancing to the right occasionally is a such a major issue.

I'm sure that Tesla's engineers accounted for issues like glare, staying mounted during accidents, etc. I could be wrong, but it seems silly to declare them to be certain issues without any experience or data on it.

I had a mini cooper back around 2005 and the speedometer was in the same place as the model 3. It took some getting used to but it turned out to be a simple adjustment that did not affect my driving at all.

As long as the speed/range indicators are represented in big enough size on that screen it should not be much of a problem for most after maybe a few days of getting used to it. I mean we already look to the sides frequently to look at the rear view mirrors while driving, a quick glance at the speed is not much different than that.

That dashboard screen has got to go. It looks like a cheap iPad on a mount. Not only is it difficult to view at its pre-set angle, but any sunlight that hits it will make it wash out. I can also see this being the first thing to fly off and into your face when you have a car accident.

Agree completely - it looks literally tacked on and there's a good reason why normal dashboards are usually recessed in some way. I hope it works better than it looks though because Tesla has had generally good and well-thought-out UX in the past.

I hate the dash. I want actual buttons for things like climate control and the radio so I don't have to fumble around with a touch driven menu system while driving. I also hated the centrally mounted speedometer when I drove my sisters mini and this looks much worse.

As for the lack of a display - I give the geeks a week to produce a 3d-printed HUD, connected to the car through bluetooth or, at worst, the ODB2 connector; either running on an Arduino or Pi, or just a hand-me-down phone. I give it a few months for it to become to be a commercially-made third-party accessory.

I don't know of a single person who likes, or at least understands the concept of no instrument cluster in front the driver. Also the one display there is, is in landscape, forcing the driver to look even further away than it would have been necessary. Not to mention it sticks out, literally. Why?

It escapes me completely why Tesla wouldn't keep the basic dash layout the same as of Model S.

No cluster = easier-to-clean dashboard. Making it stick out a bit makes it easier to reach. When I had the Model S the reach to touch the screen was somewhat annoying, as a tall person. I'm OK with these decisions.

The part of the article that says 50,000 Model 3's will hit the street next year is obviously erroneous. There's no way that those ordering now would be looking at a mid-August 2018 delivery if that were true. Not sure what it should be... perhaps 50,000 hitting the street by the end of this year?

I had a mini cooper back around 2005 and the speedometer was in the same place as the model 3. It took some getting used to but it turned out to be a simple adjustment that did not affect my driving at all.

I was going to say this. There are already several cars out there with center instrument clusters, it's pretty easy to get used to.

Well there you go, I just canceled my reservation. No standard instrument cluster is a deal breaker for me.

I’ve ridden with a friend who is lucky enough to own the Model S and that iPad console gets very annoying during night time driving. So to have that be the only way to control the car and see information is just aesthetically tacky.

Wow! This design is all kinds of ergonomically and functionally wrong. This would be OK for a concept car that sits in some dark exhibit hall, but just imagine for a moment driving this thing on a sunny day down a CA highway. You won't be able to see a thing. For crying out loud, it's bad enough that there aren't any knobs for things like temp / fan control one can easily access while driving, you have to take away the spedometer? Really? Nope, not going to happen.

Well there you go, I just canceled my reservation. No standard instrument cluster is a deal breaker for me.

I’ve ridden with a friend who is lucky enough to own the Model S and that iPad console gets very annoying during night time driving. So to have that be the only way to control the car and see information is just aesthetically tacky.

Exactly. I don't mind the speedometer but having a huge screen as your only control interface is a deal breaker. There's a very good reason why professional cameras have a ton of manual controls. And why you don't see planes with giant touch displays and a lack of physical buttons.

A big touchscreen is awesome, but why not add at least a couple of programmable dials?

Well there you go, I just canceled my reservation. No standard instrument cluster is a deal breaker for me.

I’ve ridden with a friend who is lucky enough to own the Model S and that iPad console gets very annoying during night time driving. So to have that be the only way to control the car and see information is just aesthetically tacky.

That said, it also costs twice as much as what my parents paid for the house I grew up in.

Common guy, that's not a fair comparison. Everyone knows the true story is that it costs 64 times the first horse your grandpappy bought as a teenager. And that horse was capable of autonomous steeering AND autonomous refueling!

I don't know of a single person who likes, or at least understands the concept of no instrument cluster in front the driver. Also the one display there is, is in landscape, forcing the driver to look even further away than it would have been necessary. Not to mention it sticks out, literally. Why?

It escapes me completely why Tesla wouldn't keep the basic dash layout the same as of Model S.

No cluster = easier-to-clean dashboard. Making it stick out a bit makes it easier to reach. When I had the Model S the reach to touch the screen was somewhat annoying, as a tall person. I'm OK with these decisions.

How often do you need to clean your dash vs how often does sunlight hit the dash?

I know there will be enthusiasts who will down-vote any criticism, but that interior seriously sucks. Functionally, ergonomically, aesthetically. It's probably a GREAT car to be a passenger in. It looks roomy and comfortable with spartan interiors that don't get in your way.

But dear god, I wouldn't want to be DRIVING that with passengers in it. It completely ignores about 120 years of automotive tradition in vehicle instrumentation. I loathe touch-screens as well. Having to take your eyes off the road to do ANYTHING, instead of feeling your way along the dash to the knob or button you want will be hugely distracting/dangerous - especially before the driver gets used to the layout.

That isn't something one should have to get used to by taking your eyes off the road, then hoping the road is smooth enough for you to hit the right part of the screen.

Just, no.

I'll get a Volt or Leaf before I ever get one of those. Tesla made a good looking car, and I'm sure a lot of them are going to end up gracing the covers of auto insurance periodicals - appearing somewhat differently and much less pretty than their original configurations were supposed to show.

I had a mini cooper back around 2005 and the speedometer was in the same place as the model 3. It took some getting used to but it turned out to be a simple adjustment that did not affect my driving at all.

I was going to say this. There are already several cars out there with center instrument clusters, it's pretty easy to get used to.

And most of them are pretty niche, none of its immediate competitors like the BMW 3, Audi A4, or Mercedes C Class do.

All this technology and Tesla still can't bother to add Android Auto and CarPlay. I won't buy a car without it.

Also wondering how well this center screen is going to do in Arizona when it's 140º inside the car and the sun is beating down on it all day. Not to mention overcoming the harsh sunlight while wearing sunglasses.

there's no instrument cluster directly in front of the driver. All the information you need about the car is found on a single, horizontal screen mounted in the center of the dashboard.

Call me crazy .. but I sure as hell don't want to have to glance down and off to the side to see fundemental things like what speed I am doing.

And even then that screen doesn't even look angled towards the driver. That's got to add to the lack of ergonomics.

Not that I am about to buy one, but I had hopes that it would be something I would lust after.

Edit. Given the down votes its seems that some of you are calling me crazy!

You're not crazy, AusPeter. I like the overall look and design of the Model 3, but I hate center console-only instrumentation. I had the misfortune to rent a Toyota Yaris on a business trip, and looking to my right to see the instrumentation gave me head and neck aches.

For what little it's worth, unless they offered a HUD option so I could at least see my speed and an 'alert' icon, I'd pass on the Model 3.

I'm really impressed after reading Motortrend's review. To be fair, Tesla going from a $60,000 "40"kWh Model S with 139 miles of range in early 2013 to a $44,000 (75?)kWh Model 3 with 310 miles of range in less than 5 years is an achievement. But if the driving dynamics are as good as MT says they are, I think Tesla will sell a lot of 3s, even with tabletdash-gate looming.

I don't know of a single person who likes, or at least understands the concept of no instrument cluster in front the driver. Also the one display there is, is in landscape, forcing the driver to look even further away than it would have been necessary. Not to mention it sticks out, literally. Why?

It escapes me completely why Tesla wouldn't keep the basic dash layout the same as of Model S.

The concept is quite simple: it reduces cost and the amount of wiring harness needed (lowering weight and, again, cost).

Personally, I've tried to pay attention to how I use the instrument cluster in my Volt and realized that largely the only function it serves while in motion is for checking speed. Frankly, I don't see how glancing to the right occasionally is a such a major issue.

I'm sure that Tesla's engineers accounted for issues like glare, staying mounted during accidents, etc. I could be wrong, but it seems silly to declare them to be certain issues without any experience or data on it.

Not saying that removing the cluster didn't help, but in my opinion it's a penny gain, pound loss deal. Cutting cost would matter on a car much cheaper, cutting weight matter on a car far lighter. And a instrument cluster is something literally every driver is deeply accustomed to. It may largely have only one function, checking the speed, but it's kind of important, very.

I don't know of a single person who likes, or at least understands the concept of no instrument cluster in front the driver. Also the one display there is, is in landscape, forcing the driver to look even further away than it would have been necessary. Not to mention it sticks out, literally. Why?

It escapes me completely why Tesla wouldn't keep the basic dash layout the same as of Model S.

It is interesting that car companies have spent decades coming up with holo-clusters and such to project information in front of the drive so they driver can keep their eyes on the road, and Telsa comes along and says, nah, let's bunch all the controls onto a single screen in the middle of the car.

Wondering if the fad of touchscreen controls has contributed to the number of distracted driving crashes, and if we even have data to break this out from other sources of distraction like phones.

Tesla let's you map important functions to the steering wheel buttons though. I only need the instrument for speed really, and even then I rarely look because I drive relative to the other traffic anyway. As soon as autopilot works and exceeds regular driver safety, even this decision becomes moot. Iirc knowing the speed limit for the road you are on is already solved, so really, what is actually required from the instrument panel that cannot be provided via voice or audio feedback?

I don't know of a single person who likes, or at least understands the concept of no instrument cluster in front the driver. Also the one display there is, is in landscape, forcing the driver to look even further away than it would have been necessary. Not to mention it sticks out, literally. Why?

It escapes me completely why Tesla wouldn't keep the basic dash layout the same as of Model S.

The only instrument of consequence on a modern car for 99.99% of the miles driven is the speed. And of course its worth checking the range every hour or so. Two instruments does not a 'cluster' make. Designing every car like its the 1930s with tachometers and oil temperature gauges featured prominently may piss the fewer people off, but Tesla's job is actually to drag cars into this century.

I don't know of a single person who likes, or at least understands the concept of no instrument cluster in front the driver. Also the one display there is, is in landscape, forcing the driver to look even further away than it would have been necessary. Not to mention it sticks out, literally. Why?

It escapes me completely why Tesla wouldn't keep the basic dash layout the same as of Model S.

The concept is quite simple: it reduces cost and the amount of wiring harness needed (lowering weight and, again, cost).

Personally, I've tried to pay attention to how I use the instrument cluster in my Volt and realized that largely the only function it serves while in motion is for checking speed. Frankly, I don't see how glancing to the right occasionally is a such a major issue.

I'm sure that Tesla's engineers accounted for issues like glare, staying mounted during accidents, etc. I could be wrong, but it seems silly to declare them to be certain issues without any experience or data on it.

How much wiring harness does a display even need any more? A DisplayPort link with power?

It's hard to believe the long-range battery is another $9k, which, where I live, is roughly equivalent to prepaying for 100,000 miles worth of petrol driving. Seems a bit steep to get an extra 90 miles per "tank" in very optimistic conditions.